The moment the eye appeared, it was as if the world around me suddenly froze.
I could discern all the little details of the eye. Brown, but darker than it should’ve been. Almost too dark. The pupil was wide, unnaturally so, swallowing the light around it as faint lines rippled through the iris, like cracks beneath the surface of glass.
And though it didn’t move, I felt it see me.
Really see me.
I stood with my breath held until…
Bang!
Instinct took over. I kicked the door open with everything I had.
“Hurk!”
A muffled cry rang out as every white-cloaked figure turned toward us. It felt as though over a dozen eyes had focused their attention on me.
‘Shit!’
Jamie looked terrified. Honestly, so was I. My stomach twisted itself into knots, but maybe all those hours playing horror games paid off—I managed to remain calm enough to just bolt for the exit.
“Run…”
Thankfully, I was fast enough to catch the men in white off guard, arriving before the exit of the room rather quickly.
Jamie was right behind me.
“Intruders!”
“Catch them quickly! They’ve seen everything! We can’t allow them to escape!”
The men chased after us, but the small head start we’d snatched at the beginning gave us just enough space to stay ahead, at least for a while. That gap, however, was shrinking fast.
‘What the fuck!? Are they some Olympic athletes or what…!?’
I panicked when I saw the speed at which they were catching up.
But soon, I realized that wasn’t the case.
Staring ahead and seeing Jamie move past me with his selfie stick and flashlight, I quickly realized the problem.
…I was the problem.
Fuck!
‘I really should start exercising!’
Situations like these were only going to become more commonplace. I had no choice but to get better, otherwise I was done for.
But more important than that…
‘I can’t let them catch me! They really will kill me if they catch me!’
If I wasn’t sure of it before, I was sure of it now. The people who had been dragged by the strange white people before… They were dead.
The trail of blood on the ground was clear proof of that.
“Why does it feel so long?”
I looked ahead and felt like the tunnel leading up to the strange room felt way longer than before. I knew it was merely my imagination, but my lungs were burning as the gap between me and the people in white was shrinking.
‘Ah, fuck!’
A hand reached out and barely grazed my shoulder. I clenched my teeth and forced my legs to keep going.
“Over there!”
Finally… stairs. The way up.
Jamie slowed down near the stairs, eyes on the trapdoor above.
“Don’t worry about it. Just go!”
I was already prepared in advance for this scenario. With the Nightwalker still above, I quickly told it to remove the statue from the trapdoor if there was one.
“But…”
“We don’t have a choice!”
“Okay!”
Gritting his teeth, Jamie scrambled up the stairs and slammed his shoulder into the trapdoor. Clank! It burst open with a sharp creak, and a sudden rush of cool air hit me. Jamie’s eyes lit up, hope clear in his eyes as he looked back.
“It worked!”
“Quick!”
I looked back to see the men in white just a few meters away from me, and my heart almost leaped out of my throat as I rushed up the stairs. However, two steps up, and I felt something grasp my left ankle.
“….!?”
I looked back in horror. One of the men in white had a firm grip on my ankle. And in that instant, the hood slipped just enough for me to see what was underneath.
“Got you!”
From beneath the hood, I caught sight of a face.
Sickly pale, with cheeks so hollow it barely looked human. A lump rose in my throat as more figures emerged behind him, each just as creepy. My body tensed for a split moment before I yanked my leg with all the strength I had left.
“Oh, shit!”
As if realizing my predicament, Jamie turned, his selfie stick raised.
Wham!
The camera struck the man’s hand. It flinched.
“Let… go!”
Wham! Wham!
Again and again, Jamie slammed the stick down.
And then—
Bang!
With a final blow, the stick shattered. The camera flew back, and the grip on my ankle loosened.
“Quick!”
I grabbed onto Jamie’s outstretched hand, picking up the camera that landed not far from me, and we both rushed away, cold sweat trickling down the back of my neck.
‘That was too close!’
For a moment there, I almost thought that I was done for.
If not for Jamie, then…
I didn’t want to think about it. Looking back and seeing the men in white still present, I knew things were still far from over as I rushed ahead. Jamie followed before me, his expression completely pale.
“First… haaa… hall. Exit. There.”
He was also tired, speaking in ragged breaths. However, I understood his message and nodded, running past the exhibition room and towards the entrance of the museum. However, just as we moved past the exhibition room and onto the main hall, the sight that greeted us was a closed door.
Since when?
“Shit!”
BANG! BANG!
Jamie slammed his shoulder into it.
Nothing. It wouldn’t budge.
Panic crept in like cold water in my shoes.
Especially when…
Thump! Thump!
The men in white were right behind us.
Jamie grasped the knob, shaking it several times and pulling as hard as he could, but it was futile. The door was sealed tight.
“Oh, no…! It’s locked! I can’t…”
I tried helping out too, but it was of no use. If only I had more time.
‘No, damn it! I know a Second Order mission is supposed to be hard, but not this hard!’
Was there even a way for me to clear it?
The more this dragged on, the more it felt that it was impossible for me to clear this scenario. However, thinking about the possible backup that was coming soon, I knew that all I had to do was resist.
And as such, looking around, I settled my gaze onto the distant stairs and rushed toward them.
Jamie followed quickly behind me as the steps creaked under our feet.
“Over there!”
“They’re heading for the second floor.”
My heart squeezed as I felt the men in white rush from behind us. I didn’t look back and continued moving up the stairs, entering the second floor as I was suddenly plunged into an endless darkness.
I couldn’t see where I was going, nor could I see Jamie’s light.
Wait, Jamie…?
I looked behind me only to see darkness. Hearing the distant steps that seemed to come from all around, I felt my entire body tense as I reached forward with my hand, grasping the nearby wall.
‘What happened? I was sure he was right next to me. Where did he go?’
I wanted to curse, but feeling the steps draw nearer, I knew I couldn’t afford to. Without hesitating, I brought the spectral glasses to my face, and the world turned dark blue.
The temperature plummeted, and I felt chills run down every part of my body. A corridor stretched out before me, splitting into three paths lined with doors.
Doors lined both sides of the corridor, stretching into the darkness. I glanced around, then darted down the first hallway, heart pounding as I plunged deeper and deeper, hoping to waste time until something made me stop cold.
“Ah..”
There she was.
The little girl. Standing in the distance, staring at a specific door.
I held my breath the moment I saw her, but simultaneously, my body moved on its own. I had a feeling that she wanted the same thing as me.
As such, I knew she was on my side.
…Or at least, I hoped that was the case.
I still took the gamble.
Clank!
The door creaked open, revealing a room.
One that looked too ordinary to belong in this place. A small bedroom, the kind you’d expect to find in any house, except there was something unsettling about it. A bed sat in the center, flanked by a wardrobe, tables, and chairs, all perfectly arranged as if someone still lived here.
Raising my head up, I saw the little girl sitting on the bed, her legs dangling as I closed the door behind me and held my breath.
At the same time, feeling something, my gaze drifted down to my hand.
That’s when I saw it.
The camera from before.
It was pointed directly at my face, a red dot by the side.
‘Oh…’
I was still live.
